Mount Abu days 5+6

Listening to: Sacral Nirvana by Oliver Shanti & Friends

Papaya with lime and toast is my new favorite breakfast. I've had it every day that its been available. Curry and Indian spices, as amazing as they are, have gotten overwhelming for this Canadian pallet and body after 5 days. Come morning, I am always thankful for the break. Ajda is still a curry fiend, breakfast lunch and dinner!

We left Udaipur by car. It was about a three hour journey. It was amazing to see the Indian country side and villages. Te highways here are pretty empty, and bits of them drive through villages. We stopped on the side of the highway many times- once for crossing goats, once for crossing cows, and again for poor village children who are selling fruit. The girls gawked in awe at Ajda and I. We bought two pieces of some strange looking fruit for ten rupees, or about 20 cents. The little girls were confused as usually 10 rupees buys an entire basket of fruits. They were so beautiful and cute. They let us take photos of them! When we stopped for the goats, their keeper- an old woman of who knows how many years- stopped at our car and just sort of stared looking confused. We said "Namaste!" But our drive told us that she does not understand language... Not even namaste. Later we stopped and Monkeys attacked our car! They were the first ones we saw and we were so excited about them!

Mount Abu is the least expensive of all te places we have been yet, and my favorite. We are high high high in the mountains right near the highest mountain in western India. The air is clean, and there is a population of only 40 thousand here... A big change from both Mumbai AND Udaipur. However, many Indian tourists come here from the neighboring region, which is dry (as in booze-free). I've counted a total of 6 white people in the two days we have been here- and we have gone to the market, two famous temples, and various famous view points and observatories. Note that it costs 8 times more for a non-Indian tourist to visit said attractions (photo below). Imagine charging non Caucasions more to buy a lift ticket up Whistler, or go up the Empire State Building, or walk around the Colosseum. C'est la vie!

On a side note: Monkeys are everywhere here, they are as common as the stray dogs. We are so fascinated by them! A big one came up beside me and made me jump about 2 feet! They are cute, but the big ones are REALLY big! And they are really aggressive. One of the ones who sat on our car windshield wouldn't get off, and when our driver banged on the glass to try and get him to move... He snarled and banged the glass right back!! They may be everywhere, but the novelty hasn't worn off for either of us. 🐒

We went to a natural reserve this morning where there were alligators, panthers, antelope, bears, cobra, and pythons, amongst many other creatures. Thankfully we didn't see any snakes! But we did see an alligator across the lake basking in the sun!

Today our tour guide was amazing. He was so open about sharing his life story with us and was extremely passionate about changing the current state of India. Here is his story:

Mr. Singh (everyone here is named mr. Singh) belongs to the warrior caste. He grew up just outside Mount Abu and lived in a village where his family was one of the most priveledged. He was taught that he was more important than those in the caste lower than him, as the caste lower than him grew up believing he was better than them. He was harsh to the children in village... But that was what he was taught. His father died when he was young, leaving much debt and unfinished business behind. As the eldest, he always knew that the families financial responsibility rested on his shoulders, so he went to school to become a tour gude. Many years later he fell in love with one f these girls. Of course, his family would never allow him to marry her. So one night he slipped his mother sleeping pills, snuck out of their home, and married her. When his mother found out the news she was so distraught that she tried committing suicide. Now, at 32, him and his wife live apart. He must live in his family home where he must take care of everyone. She lives with her mother because she is not allowed in the home, and he believes if he were to leave his mother and wife together alone, something tragic may happen to his wife. He wants to leave Mount Abu when he can as he is a "black sheep." He said if he was going to be a black sheep, he would go all the way. So he decided to set up a foundation to help tribal girls get a better education. Many Indians see this as foolish and pointless, because they don't want change. He told us that he sees the caste system as outdated, pointless, and is responsible for the stunt in Indians cultural, and human growth. "There are so many untapped minds, so many untapped resources in India, if only people could see and give them a chance." His foundation is called "Naad Reform Movement." Naad is the war call of ancient Indians, who blew a conch shell at the beginning of a battle. He is starting his own battle.. To eventually break down social barriers by making education available to all. His eventual goal is to build a private school that these tribal girls may attend for free. But for now, he is focused on finding girls whos families want them to attend school, and raise money to put them in there. He is partnered with people in Germany, America, and a few other countries. His foundation is not yet officially recognized, but if you are interesting in sponsoring a girl, as two French backpackers recently did, you get updates and photos of their progress.
I thought his passion, his bravery, and his story were great. Ajda and I both bought a CD of Hindu Hymns to support Mr. Singhs mission, giving what little we could spare. If anyone reading this is interested in learning more, you can google "naad reform movement" or email Dalpat Singh at dalpatmahan@gmail.com

Being here in Mount Abu I also learned about a group of people (I'm not sure if they are technically a religion?) called the Bramasomethings (I don't have google at the moment and I forget their name!). This people wear all white. They believe in spreading peace, and practicing looking at the Soul Image rather than the body Image. The concept is so simple, looking at someone's souls eradicates everything that divides us. Race, class, caste, age, gender, etc. This society here holds week long workshops that are essentially free where they teach you their beliefs and how to advance your level of meditation and give you other tools to help you better yourself in order to better the world. I've seen them walking in processions around here. I'm so interested in looking into this group more, and seeing if they have opportunities to learn a little more locally. If anyone reading this has information, please comment below!

Tonight we went to Sunset Point to do the obvious. It's very hazy this time of year so it apparently wasn't as good ad it usually is, but I loved it! I swear we are on a honeymoon romance tour of India, everywhere we go is designed for couples! Us and about 800 other people watched the sun set together.

India is funny. It has so many beautiful sights and sounds and smells and tastes... But humans have tainted everything. Sunset Point is littered in garbage, and people were more interested in "sneaking" photos of us than watching one of the most beautiful sights India has to offer thousands of feet above sea level. Phones are ringing and people are spitting and smoking. It's just so different than how I am during such a beautiful moment. In the temples today it was the same. The Jane (spelling?) Temple we went to is the holiest of places here in Mount Abu, and one of te holiest places in this religion. The temple itself is so ornately decorated, carved out of white marble and a thousand years old. People stared at us instead of looking at the intricate artwork that cost 3 million dollars to make... 1000 years ago. As priests were quiet performing beautiful ceremonies people were on their cell phones and yelling across the courtyard to one another. It's just so bizarre to me... To behave this way in a holy place.

Anyways, I'm going to stop writing about how people keep staring at us and taking photos, and stop writing about my annoyances when people make assumptions about me. I need to accept it and move on from it, taking cue from the Bramasomethings. All I can do is smile an be true to myself, and try to help people see me for my soul and not my physical.

Tomorrow we leave in the early morning for Jodhpur. I'm in bed and it's freezing here at night so I need to bundle up before going to get a soup before bed.

Goodbye beautiful Mount Abu! We will miss you.